Heartfelt Farewell: Dying Woman’s Parrot Leaves Lasting Message

Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/grieving-parrot-ai-hl/

This story originally appeared at American Web Media.

Everybody knows that parrots love to talk. But did you know that they’re also emotional creatures? BirdSupplies.com describes parrots as “almost human-like” in their emotions, while the video captures a heartwarming scene between a woman and her bird.

An African gray parrot named Sinbad has spent the past 25 years chatting and snuggling by his owner’s side. They’ve presumably had lots of great chats during this time and clearly enjoy a very close bond.

Unfortunately, Sinbad’s owner is also on her deathbed, and as his human’s breathing becomes more labored, the owner’s daughter invites the parrot in to say goodbye.

However, the African gray parrot is also acting a bit strangely, according to the daughter. It almost seems like he might be having trouble processing this difficult moment, which explains his uncharacteristically quiet death bed demeanor. It’s almost as if his grief has left him at a complete loss for words.

Parrots have been known to experience grief upon the passing of a loved one. According to International Celebration of Birds, this can manifest itself in parrots uncontrollably shrieking or frantically searching the house for their owner.

The Daily Mail has also reported incidents of grieving parrots on Prozac. Meanwhile, Petcha.com suggests parrots will need some space to process bereavements. “Ignoring a pet bird’s grief can permanently damage a parrot’s trust in a person,” the website explains. “As with people, a grieving period can last variable lengths of time.”

If you’re finding it difficult to wrap your head around the idea of grieving birds, the video below will likely change your mind. Even though she’s finding it difficult to breath or speak at this point, the owner still finds the strength to whisper “I love you.” In response, the bird snuggles up a bit closer. It’s a bittersweet scene that should forever put to rest the idea that animals can’t feel emotions.